29 October 2023 , 09:56
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A 41-year-old man with cerebral palsy was left with chronic pain as he could not get the treatment he needed to get better.
Paul Farrelly, from Bury, Greater Manchester, moved to Liverpool for university and has stayed in the city ever since due to its accepting nature. After university, Paul experienced a long period of severe illness following an unsuccessful operation.
He was frequently hospitalised and underwent over 100 operations within nine years, even battling sepsis in his spine and stomach at one point. "Before I was ill I had a really good life," he said, talking from his flat near Sefton Park. "When I came to Liverpool for university, the people here were really nice and friendly. It wasn't something I was used to. I loved the social aspect of being at uni in Liverpool, meeting people, going out and having a good life. I ended up going on holiday to Aya Napa."
One treatment that has helped manage his pain is Botox injections, which reduce the stiffness in his legs. He received these injections from the NHS for many years. Paul had to stop his vital treatment due to delays and cutbacks. He told the Liverpool Echo: "The cutbacks meant I wasn't getting the injections on time. My body had become used to having them at a certain time, so when that wasn't happening and there was an overlap, my body reacted badly.
"The delays meant that I went from being able to get myself into bed on my own to being completely unable to function or move. I was left in chronic pain," Paul explained. The NHS could not provide the treatment he needed on time, so he sought private alternatives like deep tissue massages, acupuncture, and personal training.
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However, these treatments are costly and Paul cannot afford them anymore. He believes he should have a carer but wants to maintain his independence. "Somebody in my situation should probably have a carer," he said, "but because of my mentality, I want to be the best version of myself, I want disabled people to be defined for their individuality and for the person they are."
Paul feels let down by the system as he explained: "Unfortunately the system fails people like me. I want to be independent." He also has to pay for his own personal trainer, gym membership without any concessions, and treatments. He added: "I am on my own, I have one of the severest versions of cerebral palsy, but I have to pay for my own personal trainer, my own gym membership with no concessions and my own treatments. I don't think its fair, just because I don't fit into a box."
He is now in a dispute with Liverpool City Council's social services team, claiming they should fund treatments and activities to help him manage his chronic pain. He argues that he has saved the council hundreds of thousands of pounds by not having a carer for many years and wants some of these savings used to pay for his current needs.
He said: "The city council have a duty to meet my needs. Whether they agree or not, these are my needs and they are not doing that. I have worked out that I have actually saved Liverpool Council £648,000 by not having a 42-hour care package over nine years. But I cannot now get a penny off them because someone behind a desk can't justify funding my needs."
Without any financial support, Paul is finding himself in a tough spot. "I'm maxing out credit cards, I am over my overdraft, I am missing direct debits," he explained. "I am borrowing money off friends and my neighbours are giving me food. I have fallen out with family because I always need to ask them for money. Some days I don't eat at all. The other day I couldn't afford to buy coffee.
"This week I was meant to go to the treatment centre on Wednesday and Friday, but I haven't been able to go, which is really frustrating." Paul feels he is being punished for wanting to live independently. He said he has even thought about going on a hunger strike to get people to notice his struggle and has had to start crowdfunding to pay for his treatments.
He added: "I don't want to be a martyr, because I want to be a positive person, but this situation is horrible now. I haven't slept for a week because I haven't been able to go to the treatment centre or the gym. That is what allows me to function, to be the best version of myself. When I can't do those things I am very agitated and aggressive.
"The pain I am in now is agonising. I am not asking for a lot. I want to give back to society, but at the minute, my financial situation and my pain levels, because no one is helping me, I don't see a bright future. I don't see any way out."
Liverpool City Council said: "We are currently working with Mr Farrelly to agree so that his care and support needs can be met in a way that provides him with as much personal choice and control as is possible." Although we are not able to comment on Mr Farrelly's NHS health treatment, we will continue to support Mr Farrelly to enable his independence and wellbeing."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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